One of the most challenging variations of traditional push-ups is the Diamond Push-Up. The movement challenges the triceps, chest, and core stability.
But is this exercise just a way to flex your strength and endurance?
Not quite. Here’s why the Diamond Push-Up is one of the best triceps exercises in your arsenal.
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What Are Diamond Push-Ups?
Diamond Push-Ups, or Close-Grip or Triangle Push-Ups, are a variation of the classic push-up.
With traditional push-ups, your hands are positioned slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Diamond push-ups require you to create a diamond shape with your hands close together.
This slight difference changes the range of motion, emphasizing the triceps more due to the narrower hand placement.
- While they still engage the same primary muscles, the triceps muscles play a more dominant role, making it an effective bodyweight exercise for developing tricep strength.
- The diamond position makes it an advanced push-up variation, and it’s generally considered more challenging than traditional push-ups.
- The narrower hand position reduces the leverage advantage, requiring greater triceps strength to perform the exercise effectively.
With proper form, the diamond pushups can make an excellent addition to your workout routine as a tricep exercise that strengthens the chest muscles.
How to Perform the Diamond Push-Up
The Diamond Push-Up is a difficult variation to master. The range of motion and movement pattern will challenge your upper chest, triceps, muscular endurance, and shoulder stability. Thankfully, you don’t need any special equipment to get started.
Step 1: The Starting Position
- Begin by getting into a classic push-up stance with your palms directly under your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels. Your feet should be hip-width apart.
- Now, move your hands closer together.
- Bring your thumb and index fingers of each hand close to each other, forming a diamond or triangle shape with your hands directly under your chest. Your thumbs and index fingers should touch or nearly touch.
Step 2: Lower Yourself
- Lower your chest toward the diamond shape you’ve formed by bending the elbows. Take a deep breath as you lower yourself, tightening your abdominal muscles.
- Prevent your elbows from flaring out by keeping them close to your body as you lower yourself.
- Maintain a straight torso from across your entire body, keeping your body rigid. Allow your shoulder blades to pinch together as you reach the ground.
Step 3: Push Yourself Back Up
- Pause for a moment at the lowest point—now, exhale and push through your palms to extend your arms to the original position, fully extending your elbows.
- Keep your body rigid, allowing the shoulder blades to fully protract. That’s one repetition.
- Repeat the exercise pattern for controlled repetitions, focusing on tricep engagement and stability.
Why You Should Add Diamond Push-Ups to Your Routine
With practical exercises like tricep kickbacks and bench presses, bodyweight exercises can be a hard sell for upper-body routines. All forms of push-ups offer a compound exercise that helps you develop muscle mass, core strength, and stability.
But what are some of the specific benefits of diamond push-ups?
Increases Tricep Strength
The diamond push-up trains the triceps brachii muscle on the back of the upper arm more than normal push-ups. It’s a fantastic exercise for developing larger arm muscles and toning the upper body.
Triceps exercises also benefit movements inside and outside of the gym. The triceps muscle is used as a stabilizer for complex barbell exercises like the bench press and overhead press.
Overall, the diamond push-up is a great option to have in your exercise toolkit.
More Core Strength and Stability
Although it might seem like a straightforward beginner exercise, the diamond version requires total body control, steadiness, and stability. Bodyweight movement requires you to sustain the knees, hips, lower back, shoulders, and core muscles throughout the entire range of motion.
Over time, you will build stronger core muscles, better body coordination, and more balance. This benefits you in several ways, including the following:
- Helps maintain proper posture and spinal alignment.
- Improves balance and coordination.
- Reduces the risk of injury and lower back pain.
- Activities like picking up groceries, lifting a child, waiting in line, and entering a vehicle can become more accessible.
Incorporating exercises to develop more muscular endurance will lead to more functional strength, benefiting you inside and outside of the gym.
Calisthenics Progression
The diamond hand position is an advanced calisthenics movement and a progression from the push-up. Basic calisthenics exercises like push-ups provide you with the foundations of bodyweight strength, control, and stability.
Performing increasingly challenging movements will provide you with more muscular endurance, balance, strength, and coordination. On top of all that, you’ll have a more athletic and toned physique.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
There are a few common mistakes when it comes to the diamond push-up variation that can hinder your progress and the efficiency of the calisthenics movement. It’s critical to adhere to a suitable range of motion so you get the most out of the exercise with the lowest chance of injury.
Incorrect Hand Placement
Placing your hands too close together or too far apart can affect your form and the targeting of muscles.
Ensure your hands form a diamond shape directly under your chest with your thumbs and index fingers touching.
Don’t allow your hands to go too far forward, either. If your palms are positioned too far ahead, it can cause stress on your muscles and joints.
Elbow Flaring
Allowing your elbows to flare outward instead of staying close to your body can put excessive strain on your body, causing shoulder or elbow pain.
Maintain straight elbows tucked in and pointing back during the exercise.
Rounding the Back and Loose Hips
Maintaining a straight body top to bottom is essential in push-ups. Avoid arching or rounding your back, as it can lead to lower back discomfort or injury.
Keep your hips in line with your body and avoid lifting or sagging them during the push-up. Engage your core to maintain a straight body position.
Diamond Push-Up Variations
If you’re progressing to a classic diamond push-up or want more challenging options, you’re in luck—here are some of the best diamond push-up variations to incorporate into your workout routine:
Incline Diamond Push-Up
Incline Diamond Push-Ups are a variation of the traditional exercise that modifies the level of difficulty by using an inclined surface. Posting your hands on a bench, step, or elevated platform makes the movement easier.
This variation is beneficial for individuals who are looking to build strength for diamond push-ups but may not yet have the necessary power for the standard version.
Banded Diamond Push-Ups
Banded Diamond Push-Ups can provide an excellent tricep exercise that helps you develop explosive strength and hone your diamond push-up technique. Wrapping a resistance band around your upper back makes the movement more difficult.
This places a more significant load on your tricep muscles and chest, helping you develop more muscle mass, power, and strength.
Decline Diamond Push-Up
For a challenging variation, consider the Decline Diamond Push-Up.
Decline variations require the feet to be lifted on a stable surface, such as a bench or a step, while your palms remain on the ground in the diamond hand position. This changes the range of motion, increasing the intensity by shifting more of your weight to the chest and tricep heads.
Diamond Push-Up Alternatives
If you can’t perform diamond push-ups just yet or want to spice things up, there are alternative movements that target the same muscle groups. Here are a few to keep in mind:
Close-Grip Bench Press
The Close-Grip Bench Press is a strength training exercise that targets the chest, triceps, and shoulders. It is a variation of the traditional bench press, with the primary difference being the hand placement.
In a close-grip bench press, your hands are positioned closer together on the barbell, typically about shoulder-width apart or slightly narrower.
This narrower hand placement shifts the emphasis from the chest to the triceps and shoulders, making it an effective exercise for building upper body strength and size, particularly in the triceps.
Dips
Dips are a compound bodyweight exercise performed using parallel bars or dip bars. The movement requires you to raise and lower yourself by straightening the arms.
Like the diamond push-up, dips primarily target the triceps, shoulders, and chest muscles. It’s a versatile movement with adjustable difficulty via adding a weight plate, using an assisted dip machine, or changing your grip position.
Tricep Cable Push-Downs
If you’re looking for a movement to strengthen the tricep muscles, consider the Tricep Cable Push-Down. The move is commonly performed using a cable machine and a straight or V-bar attachment.
It’s an excellent isolation exercise for developing the triceps, and they can be incorporated into your upper body or arm workouts. That said, it won’t target the chest or the shoulders like the diamond push-up.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What Are Diamond Push-Ups Good For?
Diamond push-ups engage the triceps more than traditional push-ups. The movement still engages the chest and shoulders, but the narrow hand position places more emphasis on the tricep muscles. This makes diamond push-ups a great calisthenics exercise for strengthening the arms.
Are Diamond Push-Ups the Most Effective?
Diamond push-ups are more challenging than traditional push-ups as they have a different range of motion that engages the triceps. It can be an excellent progression from traditional push-ups, helping you develop more strength and muscle mass in the arms.
Do Diamond Push-Ups Build More Muscle?
Diamond push-ups will engage the triceps more, helping you develop bigger and stronger arms. The movement will also help you build muscle in the chest and shoulders like the standard push-up. Overall, it’s a great option if traditional push-ups are becoming too easy.
Is Diamond Push-Up the Hardest Push-Up?
Diamond push-ups are more challenging than the standard technique but not the most difficult. The most challenging variation might be the decline in one-arm push-up or the handstand push-up. These are incredibly advanced calisthenics movements, requiring strength, stability, and coordination.
